This invention relates in general to circuit breaker control systems and in particular to a circuit breaker control system that may be remotely activated to preclude operation of a circuit breaker.
In so-called energy management control systems, the individual main circuit breakers that control the supply of electrical power to various dwelling units or apartments are subject to owner or manager control. It is often desirable to enable the owner or manager to disable the electrical service to specific apartments or dwelling units. The reasons therefor are numerous, among the most important being safety in the event work is being performed in the apartment and control in the event the user-customer has not paid the rent or other assessments.
The system of the invention enables a conventional type circuit breaker to be used in an energy management control system by the addition of an energy management accessory that enables opening (and locking open) all of the load contacts of a circuit breaker from a remote location. The invention system utilizes low voltage control wiring and a small DC reversible motor for driving a fork and cam arrangement to open and lock the load contacts such that they may not be reclosed with the circuit breaker control handle. The accessory has an indicating device that alerts the resident that the accessory may be manually operated to return the breaker to normal operation. The enabling of the accessory is also controlled remotely by the owner/manager. Thus safety is achieved when performing electrical service and control of service under nonpayment conditions is made available.